Lofty ambition realized in Salzburg
Floating glass shower stall gives residents the feeling that they are airborne
It’s as dramatic as it is playful: A huge staircase leading up and around to the top floor in a loft. It’s a silent invitation to banister sliders everywhere to take full advantage of a staircase that is at once utilitarian and theatrical.
The Loft Panzerhalle, in a building previously used to repair Second World War tanks in Salzburg, Austria, resembles a piece of art. When architects set out to design it as part of a competition, they wanted to preserve the historic space but also let in maximum light.
Occupying the two upper floors of the building, above two floors of retail space, they located the sleeping areas to the side of the upper level with a view of the incredible Salzburg mountains.
On the first level, the staircase separates the living areas from the entrance. The kitchen runs beneath the stairs and stretches between two terraces. Surrounding the staircase and kitchen is the living room, a working area and an entertainment area.
Since the ceilings are eight metres high, architects created a relaxation and spa zone highlighted with a sauna and fireplace. On top of it, a floating glass shower stall four metres high hides no secrets and gives residents the feeling they’re airborne.
The loft measures 3,230 square feet. It’s built primarily of concrete, lava stone and glass ceramic in the kitchen; ash wood, Corian and mutina tiles in the spa area; and white glazed spruce in the main room. Sustainability is achieved, say the architects, by creating fewer walls. Loft Panzerhalle took a year to build and was completed in 2015.
Architects Philipp Buxbaum and Christian Kircher, at Smartvoll, in Vienna answer a few questions: What was the inspiration for the Loft Panzerhalle? In Austria, the term “loft” has degenerated to where property agents propagate an open kitchen and living room as a loft. We wanted to return to the roots and challenge ourselves on how much spatial experience we can create with the least amount of regular architectural fragmenting tools such as slabs, walls, etc. We also wanted to counteract the disadvantages of the existing hall. There were only little openings in the second floor and an abundance of light in the third, so we borrowed the light from the third and brought it down to the second floor via an unconventional gallery solution. What were your construction challenges? We’d modelled the whole staircase in 3D and thought the formwork for the concrete would be 3D — milled out of polystyrene or similar. After the first bids came in, the whole team saw it wasn’t feasible; all companies bidding were afraid of the complexity and adjusted their prices accordingly. Then our client suggested we give three carpenters he thought were good a direct labour contract, (without a bid or any indication of cost, normally the worst thing you can do). They basically did it in three weeks, a super example of what you can achieve as an architect, if you have a strong client who shares your vision and is proactive. In the end, a hypermodern robot didn’t do the work on a very complex shape but, rather, old-fashioned handcraft. Why did you design the floating, revealing shower? It’s again about a different quality of spatial experience. From the main huge room with eight-metre ceilings, we send you into a tiny bathroom. From this tiny space, you again can step through the glass shower in the main huge space surrounded by nothing but glass, having a floating, weightless feeling four metres above the ground. We get a lot of comments about being exhibitionists, but that’s not the case. We didn’t see the point of hiding in an apartment that, anyway, is designed for two people. What are the other functions of the staircase? Combined with the need to go vertically from A to B, we developed a stair-like structure, which not only created five very different spatial zones but provided a fluid three-dimensional spatial experience. If you look at the ground section, you see the different spatial and functional zones the staircase is creating for the loft — the most dramatic change in spatial experience is under the bridge when you stand in front of the kitchen block. Moments before, you’re in a huge open space with eight-metre ceilings. The next moment, you’re standing under the staircase which arcs over the kitchen and creates an almost intimate spa- tial feeling there. This constant change and contrast of spatial tension/experience is a key factor in our architectural approach.